What is Shoulder Dystocia?

Information provided by a shoulder dystocia attorney with experience helping victims of Shoulder Dystocia, Baby Brain Injuries, Cerebral Palsy, and Erb’s Palsy

Shoulder dystocia describes a situation where the baby’s head has been delivered but the shoulders are stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone and cannot be freed. Injuries resulting from shoulder dystocia include brachial plexus injuries (also known as Erb’s Palsy). These injuries damage the bundle (plexus) of nerves that control the shoulder, arm, wrist and hand muscles.

If your child suffers from Erb’s palsy, it may be wise to talk, at no charge, with an Erb’s palsy lawyer at our firm.

Children with brachial plexus injuries are affected in different ways. For example:

• Some children have no muscle control and no feeling in the arm or hand.
• Some children can move their arms but have little control over their wrist and hand.
• Some children have use of their hands but no use of their shoulder or elbow muscles.
• In the most severe cases, an entire arm is paralyzed and the hand and fingers hang limp.
• Sometimes there is facial paralysis on the affected side of the body.
• Some children are unable to sit up without assistance.
• Some children are unable to crawl without therapeutic devices.

A shoulder dystocia lawyer can help you determine if the birth injury to your child constitutes medical malpractice. If so, you may be entitled to recover monetary damages from the hospital’s insurance company.

To learn more about shoulder dystocia, contact a shoulder dystocia attorney at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP today.